#gate-keeping

This gets at why/how appropriation is offensive without falling into outraged gate-keeping that relies on narrowing the passage through the gate in increasingly strict purity tests.

Nor is this blog a photography or fandom blog. It's my blog. I am a grad student, who does research and I curate this blog to reflect my interests and the things that fill my day. Right now, I am in the midst of a five-week vacation between two graduate degrees. I am not working 6-7 days a week. And so I write and post about other things on this blog: like where I went in a day, what I did, what I enjoy when I'm not doing research full-time. Let's dispel the carefully curated myth that grad students have no money, no free time, and no interest in pursuing other things--the single-track aesthetic that seems to be perpetuated by gradblrs. Some of us are parents, working a full-time job while pursuing a PhD, some of us like to go sky-diving or to the symphony or idk. But in no case do we sit behind a desk 7 days a week, sipping lattes, in front of a rainy window and fake plants, stressing about the next research paper. I have *never* presumed that this blog is a gradblr. I am not interested in my thoughts or content being policed by the gate-keepers of an exclusionary community. This is a blog by a grad student about her experience of grad school.

I Admit It, I'm A Metal Poser

Hi, ‘yall! Just a friendly reminder that while some forms (specifically modern forms) of witchcraft are pretty open, a lot of witchcraft needs research, consideration, and in some situations, mentoring to be able to accomplish things accurately and in specification with pagan religions. There are rules for everything, even if there aren’t many! Breaking rules is dangerous, and warnings are not gate-keeping. Similarly, some pagan religions are a no-no and are closed if you aren’t descended from an ethnicity related to them, like Maori religion. For example, Maori religion is specific to genealogical lines and blood-ties with their pantheon. Instances were gate-keeping isn’t acceptable is when you’re correcting an open form of witchcraft, not allowing certain races/genders/sexualities to be involved in non-race/gender/sexuality specified practices (such as Greek or Norse paganism), correcting someone’s beliefs, or correcting an individual’s definition of their own religion. Be respectful and keep safe! :3

I found out that Green Day, one of my favourite bands as a child, are making some really good songs again. I have to say, though. Liking Green Day in middle school caused my first ever experiences in 'gate-keeping' in 'communities', and was my first indication since Pokemon that people are just going to be tyrants about the fact that you, a person with preferences, have the gall to like ANYTHING. "You only like Green Day because you're a poseur! They only know like THREE chords! Pantera's better, that's the one I like. But you can't like it without being a poseur because I liked it first." "You only like Green Day because American Idiot came out. I bet you haven't even listened to their 90's stuff." They say to a twelve-year-old. "You think YOU like Green Day? Pfft. Right. Name five songs off of Dookie and Nimrod." "Green Day is so mainstream. I liked them back when they were underground." It's not only in the music community. It's every single fanbase. "You like Saint's Row? Name the graphic designer's top two favourite colours!" "How can you claim to like Anne Rice when you haven't even read the Witcher series yet?" "You just like Sherlock because it's popular now. I was reading Arthur Conan Doyle back before you were born!" LET. PEOPLE. ENJOY. THINGS. FOR FUCK'S SAKE. (Besides, the original Sherlock stories aren't even that well-written and the battle between Moriarty and Sherlock lasted like half a page. Holmes belongs to the fans now.)